22  www.o2w.co.
uk
Sorry mate I didn’t see you
Taking responsibility for your own safety on the road is vital, says Simon Hayes.
Is it acceptable to delegate our safety
to other road users? Are improved
rider attitudes fostered by too easily
reaching for the phrase ‘Think Bike’?
Is it fair of us to apportion blame to
car drivers who fail to see us and is
it appropriate to brandish the
strapline of ‘sorry mate I didn’t see
you’ as if that holds the key to
improved rider safety and more
safety empowered attitudes?
Don’t misunderstand – Think Bike
is an inspired road safety campaign
and there is no doubt that countless
riders are saved by its positive
messaging and from the many
motorcycle safety initiatives that have
resulted. Also, let’s not disparage the
legal sector and their marketing of
‘sorry mate I didn’t see you’. Enlisting
the right legal counsel (when it’s
required), can often be beneficial.
Must riders take greater
responsibility?
A mindset of ‘rider responsibility’
tends to yield a different bias of
questions. How can riders take
greater responsibility for their own
safety? What can riders do to ensure
that they are seen by car drivers?
O2W TRAINING GUIDE
Should riders ‘Think Car’ and adjust
to an attitude of ‘it’s okay mate, I know
you don’t see me’? What ongoing
training can riders invest in to
improve their skills? What can
riders do (from the outset) to
ensure that they receive the
very best motorcycle training?
The truth is that a rider’s safety is
almost always in a rider’s own hands
and after the ‘event’ – the words
‘sorry mate I didn’t see you’ have
absolutely no value!
Make your vote one for rider
responsibility, for being seen,
for riding defensively, for being
accountable, for respect of other road
users, for further training, for proper
kit and for never apportioning blame.
Professional motorcycle
training is essential
From Compulsory Basic Training
(CBT), through the Direct Access
Scheme (DAS), upwards to the
Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS) and
onwards to advanced training with
RoSPA and IAM RoadSmart –
professional training is essential.
If you care about your own safety,
don’t accept second best or settle for
the minimum legal requirements. A
learner rider only spending two hours
on the road under instruction during
their CBT, who turns down additional
training, will be more at risk than the
novice rider who increases their skills
with extra post-CBT skills training.
What does your clothing
say about you?
Clothing can be a good indicator of
rider attitude. A black bike, black
leathers, a black helmet and dark
visor will blend into most
backgrounds. Is it any wonder when
some riders then hear ‘sorry mate
I didn’t see you’?
Brighter coloured helmets can help,
and most clothing manufacturers
offer a wide range of enhanced
visibility options. Wearing high
visibility garments with reflective
piping can help riders to be seen in
poorly lit conditions, especially dawn
and dusk when motorcyclists are lost
in the confusion of bright lights and
sleepy eyes. Visibility can be further
enhanced by keeping lights clean,
functional and always on.
A great way to better understand
motorcycle visibility and when to be
particularly vigilant, is to attend a
Biker Down course. As well as
teaching motorcycle first-aid and
accident management skills, Biker
Down teaches riders how to be seen
and take greater responsibility.
Take responsibility and
keep it on the black stuff
Road position is key to a rider being
seen, as is good forward vision,
observation and planning. There
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
should be allowance and contingency
for the mistakes of other road users.
Such ‘defensive’ vision can avoid
conflict with other road users who
may be challenging for the same
road space. In all riding scenarios,
effective road position skills can
ensure riders are more visible
to others and these skills can
be significantly enhanced by
investing in ongoing levels of
motorcycle training.
Riders who invest in poor quality,
minimum levels of training are at risk
of only practicing lesser riding skills.
Learning by trial and error (the worst
possible learning environment) is not
advised and can result in issues,
close-calls and accidents.
Regardless of a rider’s experience
– to never hear the words ‘sorry mate
I didn’t see you’, advice is not to rely
on other road users to ‘Think Bike’
Simon Hayes Simon has been a
– but instead to take complete full-time instructor
responsibility and that will always since 1991, has
involve a commitment to high quality operated a popular
and ongoing levels of professional West Midlands
motorcycle training. Stay safe, take based motorcycle
responsibility and keep it on the training school
black stuff. since 1996 and has
ridden over one
Words: Simon Hayes – Motorcycle million training miles. As well as
Instructor and VideoBiker MD being a sought-after instructor
Images courtesy of Video Biker trainer, Simon delivers a full diary
of Compulsory Basic Training and
• More info: www.videobiker.co.uk Direct Access, plus a busy schedule
of skills progression training via
the Enhanced Rider Scheme and in
association with the Safer Roads
Partnership. For those seeking
higher level coaching, Simon
offers advanced riding tours
on the continent.
Simon firmly believes that
minimum legal standards are not
enough and that riders should
take responsibility for advancing
their skills through higher levels
of instruction.